Wedestig, Anna

Abstract [en]

As a byproduct of the attempt to prove Fermats Last Theorem, new methods were developed within number theory and algebra that were used to solve classical number theoretic problems. Unfortunately one does not always have unique factorization in these new rings and fields. This thesis deals with factorizations of quadratic integers, lack of unique factorization in quadratic number fields, and their class numbers, a measure of the failure of unique factorization.